Finally, someone has come out and presented a well thought out and well written piece that demonstrates what’s really at hand when it comes to games and gaming today. Everywhere I turn, I see some Christian bigot or some holier-than-thou asshole senator spouting off about how playing games is the end of our culture and the beginning of the apocalypse. The problem with their stance on it is that most scientific studies related to games have come to the conclusion that playing games helps hand/eye coordination, aids in puzzle-solving skills, develops new ways of thinking about situations and, most importantly, subverts aggression and directs it to a less physical/tangible output. The first article I mentioned is nowhere close to being a scientific study, but it’s a step in the right direction. When someone that doesn’t have a scientific background can see the positive effects of a game, I think it’s a good example of how unfounded all these negative claims are.
Jack Thompson is an asshole. Most people agree with me that “Christians” are assholes. I put Christians in quotes because I’m referring to the ones that pretend to be all holy but yet they do nothing but point at you and tell you how wrong or bad you are. I’m curious how many skeletons they have in their closets. If the worst thing I do in my life is shoot a few Combine soldiers or assassinate a politician in a video game, I think Jesus may just ask me to sit down and play a round of Guitar Hero with him when I get to heaven (or whatever comes after we die). Video games are good for you and stimulate the least used organ in our bodies – the human brain. They’re interactive, easy to use and, most of all, they are enjoyable ways to stimulate the brain. In fact, for some people, it even lets them escape into a world that’s sometimes, sadly better than the one they’re living in.
Go play a video game, forget about Jesus, enjoy yourself and get smarter. Then, if you want, worry about Jesus. =)